farce
Wang Tianhua glanced at Liu Xiangmei and the others, then pretended to tug at Liu Ailing.
Liu Ailing, however, felt that she had not said anything wrong because Liu Xiangmei did not retort, and her arrogance grew even more rampant.
"I went to the Li family late at night a few days ago, and today they're serving me a feast. I might as well just move in with them. It's just a pity about my older brother, he died such a tragic death, and... ah..."
She was speaking when a kitchen knife flew towards her. After quickly dodging it, she saw Wang Yao standing at the door with a gloomy face, holding a cleaver in her hand.
Liu Ailing saw Wang Yao staring intently at her, then walking towards her with the machete in hand.
Li Jin, who was standing nearby, tried to stop her, but was scared away by her raising a cleaver.
Li Jin was certainly not intimidated. Even if a little girl were holding a machete, she would not pose any threat to him. It was the little girl who secretly winked at him that told him that she was not blinded by anger and that she was still aware of the situation.
Wang Yao quickened her pace and rushed towards Liu Ailing, then raised her machete and slashed at her forcefully.
Liu Ailing kept dodging, but lost her footing and fell into the bamboo forest. Wang Yao followed her in.
Wang Tianhua didn't stop her. He thought Wang Yao was just a little girl, how could she really dare to kill Liu Ailing, an adult? Besides, even if she did injure someone, it might not be a bad thing, since injuring someone would mean having to pay compensation!
Everyone stood aside, trying to persuade Wang Yao not to act impulsively. Liu Xiangmei wanted to step forward, but Li Jin stopped her, telling her not to rush and that Wang Yao knew what she was doing.
But Liu Xiangmei was already crying in distress. What the others didn't know was that she had actually experienced what it felt like to have a knife to her neck, and that she had actually seen blood.
While everyone was worried about Wang Yao wielding the knife, Li Jin looked at Wang Tianhua, so he didn't miss the scheming in Wang Tianhua's eyes, or the subtle upturn of his lips.
His niece wanted to kill his wife, what was there for him to scheme about? Did he want to find a new wife?
Li Jin was unaware that Wang Tianhua was short of money, so he came up with a wild idea.
Wang Yao chased after her, while Liu Ailing ran ahead, calling out as she went. They quickly ran out of the bamboo forest, and her screams attracted many onlookers.
Wang Yao caught sight of the village chief out of the corner of her eye, pretended to fall to the ground, and even let go of the machete.
By the time the village chief got closer, Wang Yao had already collapsed to the ground and was wailing.
From a young age, Wang Yao's face would turn bright red whenever she cried, and coupled with the fact that she was always covered in dirt, she looked extremely pitiful.
The village chief helped her up and asked, "What happened?"
Wang Yao didn't say anything, she just kept crying and shouting, "I want my dad, Dad, I miss you so much..."
Everyone present knew about Wang Tianmiao's death, and felt even more sorry for the child.
While the village chief was trying to calm Wang Yao down, Liu Ailing limped back and yelled at Wang Yao, "You took a knife and you still have the nerve to cry? Someone like you will end up as a convict sooner or later, huh..."
Liu Xiangmei, who had run down from above, tackled Liu Ailing to the ground. She straddled Liu Ailing and slapped her repeatedly across the face, yelling, "I'll teach you to be so foul-mouthed, I'll teach you to be so foul-mouthed..."
Seeing the two families fighting again, the village chief felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. "Alright, pull them apart. What kind of behavior is this?"
Liu Xiangmei was pulled off Liu Ailing. Once freed, Liu Ailing was about to fight back, but Sun Min picked up a knife from the ground and pointed it at Liu Ailing.
The village chief felt his head throb even more. "Put the knife down right now! Someone tell me what's going on!"
Wang Yao was already sobbing uncontrollably, crying and saying that her second uncle's family had bullied her. Her words were broken and no one could understand them.
Li Jin looked on, feeling both sorry for him and wanting to laugh. He coughed lightly and recounted what had just happened.
He continued, "You all probably remember why everyone went to my house a few nights ago. Today, it was just a meal between neighbors, but we've been subjected to such slander. According to the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, anyone who insults or defames a soldier can be subject to administrative penalties. Village chief, what do you think we should do about this?"
The village chief glared fiercely at Liu Ailing.
At this point, Liu Ailing stopped shouting to fight back and instead shrank back. She had only said a few random words, so how did it escalate to the legal level?
The village chief chuckled, "No, no, Xiao Li, we're all from the same village, we see each other all the time, there's no need to make such a big fuss. How about this, let Wang's second son's wife sincerely apologize to you. She's just a woman, all she does is talk nonsense all day long. You're too magnanimous to hold a grudge against her!"
As he spoke, he gestured for Liu Ailing to come forward with his eyes.
Liu Ailing was very pragmatic. Although she felt a little embarrassed, she thought it was better to be embarrassed than to be arrested, so she quickly bowed and apologized.
Seeing that Liu Ailing had apologized to him and was about to leave, he said with a blank face, "It's alright between my father and me, but what about Aunt Liu and her daughter?"
Aunt Liu? Who's that?
Li Jin gestured to Liu Xiangmei with his chin.
You're not that much younger than Liu Xiangmei. Look at your face, it looks older than your actual age because of the military. How can you call Liu Xiangmei "Aunt Liu"?
Li Jin was also a little embarrassed. He hadn't addressed Liu Xiangmei directly during the meal, but now he had blurted out "Aunt Liu" without realizing it. He must have been doing it because he was very respectful to the elderly and caring for the young!
But he kept a cold face, and no one noticed anything unusual about him. "Aunt Liu is fine, let people call her whatever they want."
Liu Xiangmei didn't pay attention to any form of address at that moment. She hugged Wang Yao tightly, wiped away her tears, and said angrily:
“Village chief, my husband just left, and people are already spreading rumors about me. There’s always trouble around a widow’s door. I can’t tolerate this. I demand that Liu Ailing write an apology letter and have it read aloud in the village for a month so that everyone knows that even without a husband, I, Liu Xiangmei, am not someone to be trifled with.”
"You're dreaming! Who do you think you are? Why should I apologize to you?"
Liu Xiangmei glanced coldly at the clamoring Liu Ailing, snorted and said, "If you don't agree to my demands, I'll hang myself in front of the police station. I want to see if anyone will care."
The village chief quickly calmed him down, saying, "Don't be impulsive, let's talk this out."
“Village chief, I’m not trying to scare you. My husband is dead, so there’s no point in me living. Since some people are making my life miserable, then none of us should have a good life. Before I hang myself, I’ll take a packet of rat poison. If I can take one person with me, that’s one. If I can take two, I’ll make a profit.”
The village chief followed Liu Xiangmei's gaze and discovered that she was looking at the largest well in the village, from which many villagers drew water for drinking.
The village chief dared not persuade him any further, fearing that he might really push the man too far. "Fine, this is indeed Wang Lao Er's wife's fault. As long as you can vent your anger, that's fine."
Liu Ailing was unwilling, but the village chief walked up to Wang Tianhua, who had followed him, and said something. Wang Tianhua's expression changed, and he quickly nodded.
Wang Tianhua then walked up to Liu Ailing and warned her in a low voice, "If you want me to starve in the future, then keep making trouble."
Liu Ailing dared not move. Wang Tianhua led her to Liu Xiangmei and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I failed to control her. I will make sure she fulfills the request you made."
Liu Xiangmei didn't bother to look at him, but Wang Yao spoke up: "Second Uncle, what about my injuries?"
Wang Tianhua was taken aback. He looked her up and down but couldn't see where she was injured.
Wang Yao stretched out her hand, revealing a small cut on her palm. She then pointed to her forehead.
Just as Wang Tianhua was about to say what her head injury had to do with him, he heard Wang Yao pout and say, "I fell to the ground just now, and this old injury feels even more painful. I don't know if it's a concussion."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiangmei immediately became anxious. Wang Yao secretly squeezed her hand, and she shut her mouth.
Wang Tianhua knew, of course, that Wang Yao was trying to extort him, but the village chief held his life in his hands. If he didn't go along with the mother and daughter today, the village chief would use the excuse that he had ruined someone else's leg to force him to leave the village clinic.
So he forced a smile and said, "It's that serious? What do you plan to do about it?"
Wang Yao also gave the same fake smile, "Second Uncle, you are a doctor. I could have just asked you to take a look at me, but your medical skills are too poor. I don't trust you. Give me a hundred yuan for medical expenses, and I will find a good doctor to see me myself."
Wang Tianhua's smile vanished. This brat was not only trying to extort him, but also trying to kick him while he was down. But now he had no choice but to agree!
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